Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1887-07-21
Notes by the Way.

| NOtcs w inc way
EDITOR HERALD: A few more words
about the country east of Broken Bow
and around it will give your readers a
better idea of the surface of the country
than they now have. AS | have said
several times before the country is
rough, but believe have never ex-
planned what meant by roughness.
mean that the country is billy.
These hills are from twenty to sixty
feet high, and the sides of some of them
are almost perpendicular. Others the
sides are terraced, while with some
there is a gradual ascent. For fourteen
miles east of the Bow the road runs
through a valley, or as they call it here,
a canyon. When we first started up
this canyon it was quite wide, maybe
thirty rods, but as we went further up,
it began to narrow until it was not over
twenty-five feet and finally we came to
the head and passed up and over the
divide through pass just wide enough
for one wagon. This divide was not
over forty feet wide and we descended
into another canyon similar to the first.
We followed the last until within three
or four miles of the Bow we came upon
another divide and there lay the city be-
fore US. All along these canyons have
mentioned, were draws running at
nearly right angles to them on both
sides. These draws, or side canyons
would vary in length from 6 to 8 rods
up to half mile OF more. In these
draws the hay is obtained, as the grass
on the prairies is too short to make hay.
Wild game was quite plentiful-that is
prairie chickens or grouse. Before the
buffaloes became so nearly exterminated
this region must have been beautiful hunt
ing ground for them. This prairie region
has great deal of what is called "Buf-
falo grass on it now. Here saw
my first sword grass. Well, from the
divide rs | said before you could see
the Bow. 1t was the 4th of July. The
city was decorated tastefully and the
streets and commons around town
we've covered with teams. Besides the
usual attractions of that day there
was show in town. Although the sa-
looms were running full blast, up to dark
only two men had been 'jugged"
About o'clock the fireworks CD COM
menced. They had six sky rockets,
dozen Roman candles,a few other things
Q think have large enough estimate)
up on hill overlooking the town and
fired few when the rest took fire and
it all ended in a ''cloud of fire. and
smoke 'by night" Lancaster knows
how that is as we'll rs the other towns
that have fireworks on these occasions.)
But down town the people had fine
display and grand time by private
contributions. Rockets. Roman candles,
serpents, balloons, bonfres, etc, en-
livened the time to midnight The
most exciting thing though is TO take a
ball of Irvine. saturate it with terpentine,
light it, and throw it from one to
another. The day finally ended with
grand ball in the Opera House. They
had large attendance. Tickets only
seventy-fye cents.
The Bow has grown very rapidly
within the last year and men who in
vested in lots here Il year ago have
made money. Lots then could b, pur-
chased for $50 or so aud to-day the
same lots are worth from $500 to $500.
The town is three times as large now
as it was then. The town is filling up
and making rapid stride aheads all
the time. Next week they vote on
bonding the town for $4,000 to build a
school house.
A few words as to how justice is
melted out to the erring in the southwest
part of this county and | close.
For some time back couple of Mex
leans have been stealing things in this
section or near here, so last Sunday,
believe it was, some of the settlers got
after them. They could not arrest them
somehow, so shot one dead and the
other through the shoulder and hip.
The later escaped and they arestill hunt
ing him. They expect to find him dead.
Again this spring out toward Dismal
couple of Cowboys came into little
town and were making the people dance
to their music at the point of the revolt
yer. The sheriff was sent for. He and his
deputy came. The Cowboys said they
would lasso them and drag them to
death. The sheriff waited until they
were riding away when he called upon
them to stop. They refused He
ordered his deputy to shoot one horse
and he did the other. Again he ordered
them to stop aud again they refused.
Consequently he-the sherlf-:shot one
dead and his deputy did the other. l
might enumeratc half a dozen more
cases but this must suffice for such
trash. A. l.. RANKINs.
0lax. Custer Co.. Neh, July 8, 1887.
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The Toledo Bidde'S Presidential can
vass shows very close hight between
Blaine and Sherman in Illinois The
6gnras for first choica ara Rlaina Q74